Steve Benen looks at the latest polls, and – surprise! – Americans still aren’t buying what Republicans are selling.
This poll suggests the GOP isn’t just wrong, its understanding of public attitudes is the exact opposite of reality. The public is prepared to hold Republicans responsible for this self-inflicted wound that will undermine the economy, the military, and public needs. The one thing the GOP is counting on — avoiding blame at all costs — is already failing miserably.
Indeed, looking ahead, voters were asked, “What should be the focus of steps to reduce the deficit?” A whopping 76% majority said there should be a combination of spending cuts and new revenue. Only 19% of the public — fewer than one in five — agrees with the Republicans cuts-only approach. Given the number of Americans who self-identify as members of the GOP, this suggests the Republican Party has failed to even persuade some of its own voters.
Wait, it gets even worse for Republicans (and better for Democrats).
On specific issues, the same poll found that Americans side with President Obama over the GOP on who has the better approach to reducing the deficit, who’s right on reducing gun violence, who has the better plan to deal with immigration, and by a huge margin, who’s better on the climate crisis.
What’s the good news for Republicans in these new national polls? There is no good news for Republicans in these new national polls.
Meanwhile, the Koch brothers are scratching their heads in confusion.
The massive amount of outside political spending unleashed by Citizens United did not, as feared, make it easier for rich people to buy an election. Instead, it showed that rich people are pretty dumb about politics. Take the billionaire businessmen Charles and David Koch who are spending their 2013 figuring out why they the money they spent in 2012 was such a waste. They have already fired most of their 100 staffers at Americans for Prosperity, and they’re now conducting an audit.
Like American Crossroads and the Republican National Committee, the Koch brothers are trying to figure out why they couldn’t beat President Obama — and several Democratic Senate candidates in red states. The Kochs have delayed their twice-a-year meetings with big conservative donors until they’ve finished their audit, Politico’s Kenneth P. Vogel reports. The results of the audit will be presented at an April seminar, Vogel writes, adding, “Early indications suggest that they’ll continue playing in politics but will tweak their approach to reflect 2012 lessons.”
First, I love the fact that they wasted sooooo much of their money. Second, they simply refuse to see what everyone who didn’t buy into skewed polls saw – Republican policies are terrible. Hey, when your egos insist you surround yourself with people telling you what you want to hear and skewing polls in order to make you feel better you end up with the 2012 election. When your answer to that loss is to substitute a Hispanic for Mitt Romney and have him put forth the exact same policies then you’ve learned nothing – and all the money in the world won’t change that.
Also… only “22% of Americans, nearly a record low, consider themselves Republicans.”
You’re welcome.